Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am back. I have posted a new version of Chapter 2 to replace the original version. If you want to understand what goes on in this chapter, read that one first. It's mandatory that you do so if you want to understand this chapter. I have also deleted the notice I had as Chapter 3.
In addition, I spoke with a DeviantArt artist named GC-Conceptart. He agreed to allow me to use a variant of the Scorpion that he designed for another DeviantArt artist named Azores-1994. They are the owners of that art, and I am just using that variant with their permission. For the image of the tank, here's a link: www. deviantart gc-conceptart/art/HALO-SCORPION-M808D-892771316 (The space are mandatory so that the website doesn't delete the entire link. Just remove them and you should be good to go. Remember, I do not own that art. GC-Conceptart and Azores-1994 do.)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilms, 20th Century Fox, Disney, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Sabaton - Stormtroopers
Scarif
Hanger 21-D, UNSC Infinity
October 26th, 2558, 6PM (April 11th, 0 BBY, 6PM)
"Time to get the show on the road," Linda-058 said. "You good to go, Kelly?"
"Yep," Kelly said as she walked into the Pelican they were using. "Chief?"
"Affirmative," came the reply. With military precision and discipline, soldiers loaded up onto the dropships that would be taking them from the Infinity to the surface. Once loaded, the Pelicans quickly left the hangar
"First time I've seen the Infinity this busy since we tried to take out Jul 'Mdama at Kamchatka," Fred-104 observed. "It was a real hornet's nest."
"Now we're doing it again," Linda-058 added, "only this time we're heading to an alien world in uncharted space." She loaded in last, making sure her Sniper Rifle, Nornfang, was ready for war. "Honestly speaking, there's something off about this." Chief, also known as John-117, nodded in agreement.
Once all of the Spartans were loaded onto the Pelican, he said, "Pilot, we're ready to go."
"Copy that," the pilot replied. Keying her COM, she said, "Delta 3-1-5 to Infinity. We are go for ground operations. All members of Blue Team loaded on and ready to go."
"Copy that," came the voice of the ship's Combat Aerospace Group commander."You are go for ground operation. Be advised, its still quite hot out there."
"Roger that," Delta 3-1-5 reported. "Delta 3-1-5 heading out." Pushing on the throttle control, she brought the Pelican up from it's position in the hangar bay. The VTOL craft quickly reached the hangar's maximum hover altitude of 10 meters before the pilot gunned the throttle.
The hybrid fusion drive engines on the rear shoved it forwards, with the Pelican quickly passing through the magcon field. The pilot then angled the VTOL down and towards the shattered ruins of the gate that had once opened a way into the now non-existent shield.
Walking into the cockpit of the Pelican, Chief looked outside towards the planet. For a moment, the planet reminded him of his homeworld of Eridanus II, then he shook the thought away. We're on a mission, he reminded himself, not a tour.
Fred-104 entered the canopy. "Pretty," he noted. "Somebody ought to take a picture."
"Already did," the pilot informed them. "Damn shame that we have to go down there. Whoever fired on us shouldn't have done that if they didn't want us here."
"I can agree with that," Kelly-087 added.
"Understood," Chief said. "Kelly, you take point. Fred, you and I will provide fire support for her. Linda, you watch our backs."
"Yes sir," the others said.
"So, what are we looking at down there?" Fred-104 asked. "What are the hostiles that we'll be facing."
"I can answer that," came Cortana's voice. "We're going to be looking at what the Empire calls 'Stormtroopers.' Sending an image to your HUDs now."
Looking at the upper-left corner of his HUD, Chief spotted the image that Cortana had sent them. The image showed an individual, likely human, that was wearing white body armor over a black undersuit. The helmet had eye-lenses, as well as what looked like a communicator and filter system. Chief noted that the helmet appeared to be designed to intimidate a combatant, though he knew it would be of little use against a Spartan. The man also held what looked like a carbine.
"Real pretty," Fred noted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Indeed," Linda said. "Our body armor does the same."
"What is the weapon that Stormtrooper has?" Chief asked.
"The standard issue long arm of the Imperial Army is the E-11 Blastech Carbine," Cortana elaborated. "My analysis indicates that it's designed to fire a bolt of particles at an enemy target at velocities comparable to small arms. Most Imperial Stormtroopers are armed with this weapon, though some do carry what are classified as 'Heavy Blasters' and 'Blaster Rifles.'"
"Will they pose a threat to us?"
"We won't know until we actually get down there and find out," Cortana remarked, a hint of frustration in her voice. "I can make a good estimate based on the energy figures I'm looking at. They'll deplete energy shielding faster than most UNSC weapons can, but they'll likely be weaker than what the Storm Covenant use. Either way, I recommend not getting hit at all if you can. One hit and most of your internal organs will be fried in an instant."
"Ouch," Fred deadpanned.
"Agreed," Linda added.
"What is their level of proficiency?" Chief asked Cortana.
"Unknown at this point," Cortana said. "I can only make guesses, and those can be disproven or proven once actual fighting begins."
"How resistant is their armor compared to our own?" Fred asked.
"Unknown at this point. For all I know, they could be bulletproof or they might not. Either way, we won't know more until we get to the ground and find out."
"Copy that," Chief replied.
. . .
Onboard one of the Pelicans, Captain Parisa made sure that the armor straps on her shoulders were comfortably, but firmly, fitted and ready. This is it, she thought to herself. First time boarding a 'Star Destroyer.' She took a deep breath, held it for a second, then let it out slowly. Her heart slowed down to a more reasonable pace.
She reached into an armored pocket and pulled out a photograph. While old and creased along the areas where it had been folded, the colored photograph was still as fresh the day it had been printed. She smiled at the girl in the photograph, as well as the young boy in it.
She ran an armored hand over the photo. I wish you were here with me, John. I wonder what you'd think of me if you saw me right now. She put the photograph away. Time to focus on what's going on, she said to herself.
"Who was that in the photo, ma'am?" a voice asked. Parisa looked up, saw one of the younger Marines looking at her. Seeing her gaze, he said, "I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't meant to -"
"It's OK," she replied, cutting him off. "That was me, before the war, along with one of my friends at Eridanus II. John was his name."
"What happened to him?"
"He died of some diseases," she explained.
The Marine looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I had a brother that died the same way. Fred was his name. Some days, I wonder what he would've looked like if he were standing alongside me today. It's memories like that which kept me going through the war."
Parisa nodded in agreement. Memories like that helped me survive the last war. "What's your name?"
"Sergeant Richard Ellsworth, ma'am," the Marine replied.
Smiling, she tapped his shoulder. "Always remember the lost, Richard. Those memories will help you get through. Now, are you ready to go kick some ass?"
"Yes, sir!"
"All right," Parisa decided. Clearing her throat, she said, "Listen up everyone! We're going to be fighting some faction calling themselves the 'Empire.' They decided that it was a really good idea for them to fire on the Infinity, claiming that we were working for some sort of Innie faction. Now we're going to show them that they made a big mistake! Our mission is to take all critical parts of the ship, including the bridge. You ready to take on some Imps?"
"YEAH!" the other Marines shouted.
"You ready to send them back in a pine box!" she asked next.
"OOHRAAH!"
"Then let's get to it! Keep your heads on a swivel, your rifles locked and cocked, and we'll all get out of here in one piece! Am I right, Marines?!"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" the other Marines shouted.
"Uh huh, damn straight I am!"
"Fifteen seconds!" the pilot informed them. Moving to the cockpit, Parisa looked to see where they were entering the Star Destroyer. Up ahead was a hangar that was wide open, and she could see racks that once held what she thought were those odd, square shaped fighters.
What had her attention the most, though, were the white armored soldiers that were inside, fighting against what she could tell were robots of a sort. Despite being outnumbered, the soldiers in the hangar bay were holding their own, while several black uniformed officers were running around, likely giving orders. She had to admit, they were quite disciplined despite having their backs against a wall.
"Five seconds!" the pilot shouted as they flew closer.
Returning to the Troop Bay on the Pelican, Parisa made sure her MA5D was locked and loaded. The normal running lights in the troop bay winked out, replaced by a bright red glow. "Red light! Standby!" she shouted. Right on cue, several Marines stacked up at where the door was at. Once that light turned green, the doors would open, and it would be their jobs to cut down any hostiles that were directly ahead of them.
The Pelican flew through the magcon field. Blaster fire rang out and pinged harmlessly off the craft's shield's. "Captain! LZ's too hot!" the pilot shouted. "Gonna thin out the competition!"
"Do it!" Parisa shouted. Closing the COM, the pilot activated the chin mounted turret on the Pelican, then linked to his helmet cam. Outside, the rotary 70mm autocannon whirred to life. Once the ready indicator came up on the pilot's HUD, he depressed the firing stud and looked left and right twice.
There was a loud BBRRRTTTZZZ as the autocannon roared to life. 70mm shells cut through the air at high velocities, tearing into the Imperial Stormtroopers that were in the hangar bay. Any screams of agony were drowned out by the immense roar. One Stormtrooper was promptly bisected at the waist, while another screamed as another shell ripped his arm off, before another one blew through his head and ended his misery. Within a few seconds, all of the Stormtroopers in the hangar bay were dead.
Grimly satisfied with the handiwork that he had just performed, the pilot rotated the Pelican around and landed it. The troop bay's red light turned to green. "GO, GO, GO!" Parisa shouted. The doors opened almost instantly. The Marines at the entrance waited a second or two to make sure the Pelican had gotten all of the hostiles, then charged in. Exiting the Pelican, Parisa saw more Pelicans arriving, with Marines quickly jumping out.
Shouldering her weapon, she proceeded to the door, which had closed as soon as the Pelican had entered. Keying her COM, she said, "Roland, we need to get inside the ship! Can you get the doors?"
"Copy that," Roland replied. "I've already gotten the schematics from Cortana. Uploading a Nav-Point route to your HUDs now."
"Copy that," Parisa replied. The doors leading into the hangar bay opened, allowing her squad to move through. "Delta squad, on me!" she said over the COM. "Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Team, move through the ship to your assigned objectives! Roland will guide you to them and he'll relay instructions once you get there!"
"Copy that!" the others replied. "Moving through now!" All of the squads moved in, weapons raised as they advanced down the corridors.
Each of the corridors were designed around the same format; wide hallways lit by grating with lights behind them, lights in the ceiling and gray walls contrasted by black tiled flooring. As they moved through these sections of the ship, Parisa found many hostiles lying on the ground. Most of them were stunned, though they came across groups of people that had hands to their throats. Asphyxiated, she thought. Cortana really didn't mess around.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," one of the Marines groaned.
"Same here," Richard added. "Something tells me that we've got trouble up ahead."
"I agree," Parisa replied."Get ready!" she said when they reached a closed door "Breach and clear," she ordered. The Marines got into any cover they could find, while one Marine pulled out a small, cylindrical grenade and pulled the pin. "Roland, open the door up!" The door opened, making a hole the size of a basketball hoop. The Marine threw the grenade through the hole, then ducked down.
There was a collection of surprised shouts, followed by a series of loud bangs. Almost instantly, the door fully opened, with the Marines leaning out of Cover. One of the hostiles, an officer in a black uniform, was stumbling around in obvious pain. The Stormtroopers weren't; instead, their weapons were pointed at the door, ready to open fire.
MA5Ds roared to life. Firing her own, Parisa watched as her bullets punched into the armor one of the Stormtrooper was wearing. The man fell to the ground without a sound, his armor shredded by bullets Two more Stormtroopers fell down as their own armor failed to protect them
It wasn't completely one sided, however. One Stormtrooper that was smarter than the rest ducked into cover. Popping out of cover, he fired his blaster, sending red particle bolts towards the Marines. Most of the Marines ducked, but Richard got hit in his chest armor. With a loud grunt, he fell to the ground. The other Marines fired off a couple bursts, sending the Stromtrooper to an early grave."Clear!" one of the Marines shouted.
"You OK?" Parisca asked as she ran towards Richard.
"I'm OK!" Richard replied as he got up.
"Any burns?" the medic, Lucas Browning according to Parisa's HUD, asked.
"No," Richard said, "It didn't burn me. Looks like the new armor works well."
"Good," Parisca noted with a smile. "That means that we won't lose people to a single body shot. Don't make yourselves an obvious target, though! We don't want to lose people if we can help it! Squad, keep moving!"
They continued to move through the ship, more cautiously though now that they knew what they were up against. "Got a door up here!" one Marine said. "Nav-Point says we've gotta use this lift."
Parisa walked over. True enough, it was a lift; a single control panel was nearby, though Parisa had no idea how to operate it safely. "Roland, we've reached some kind of lift."
"I'll take you up to the next deck," Roland said. "Just get in and I'll send you the information needed to operate it."
Parisa keyed her COM. "All squads, report in!"
"We're OK!" said Bravo Actual. "Some light resistance, but we're fine."
"Same here," Alpha Actual added.
"Charlie here. Took a casualty, but he's fine. We'll keep going."
"Copy that," Parisa replied. Instructions came up on her HUD when she entered the lift. Pressing the call button, she heard something, before the door opened automatically to reveal a circular lift cab. Making sure it was clear, she had the squad enter, before they entered. More instructions appeared, telling her which buttons to press. Hitting them in sequence, she watched as the door closed with a whine, before the lift began to move upwards.
. . .
While the boarding action was going on, the ground battle on Scarif was still ongoing, only with even greater intensity. Running along the battlefield, Baze winced as a blaster cannon bolt from the nearby AT-ACT fired, only to narrowly miss him. Chirrut was running alongside him, though at an even greater speed than Baze was. Gasping, Baze threw himself into a crater made by an earlier miss, with Chirrut doing the same.
"Damnit!" one of the Rebel Troopers shouted. "Those AT-ACTs are tearing us apart! If we don't do something soon, we're all going to be dead!"
"I've got an idea!" Baze shouted. "Hand me that missile launcher!" A soldier tossed the missile launcher, along with a missile, towards Baze. Grabbing it, he quickly loaded the missile launcher, then took aim at the incoming AT-ACT, then fired.
There was a loud FWOOSH as the missile launched out of the missile launcher. It streaked through the air then smacked straight into the side of the AT-ACTs head, knocking it to the side. Baze, seeing this, smiled, while the other Rebel Troopers smiled as well.
That quickly changed when the AT-ACT swung it's head back around. "Oh, no," Baze groaned as he saw that the only damage that he'd done to the AT-ACT was to blacken part of the cockpit and cut a shallow furrow alongside it's head. The others, spotting this, prepared for their impending doom.
Suddenly, blaster bolts tore into the side of the AT-ACTs cockpit, blasting it apart. Looking around, Baze spotted the source of their unexpected help. "LOOK!" he shouted. Right on cue, two X-Wing fighters zoomed into view, before flying towards the tower…
Inside one of the Imperial Transports near the fighting, Bodhi Rook and a few Rebel troopers were working frantically to try and reestablish communications with the Alliance Fleet. "Melshi! Melshi, come in!" one of them shouted. "Bodhi sent a signal from here. He's patching us in, but he needs you to open up a line for the tower!"
"How?" Melshi asked, his voice crackling over the com. "Please advise!"
"There's a master switch at the base of the comms tower!"
"Master switch? Describe it. What are we looking for!"
Hearing that, the Rebel Trooper in question turned to Bodhi "What does it look like? The master switch! Where is it?"
"I know where," Bodhi replied. "Get me those cables! I'm going out there to activate the master switch!" One trooper tossed him a backpack with cables. Throwing it on, Bodhi began to run...
While this was going on, General Antoc Merrick was coordinating with the X-Wings that had made it to the surface. "U-Wings, deploy ground forces! All fighters on me!" he shouted. "We have to shield the ground forces from attack!"
"Roger, Blue Leader," came the reply. With that, they split off, before engaging any hostile TIE Fighters that had made it into the atmosphere as well.
"I've got one on my tail!" one X-Wing pilot shouted. "I can't shake him!"
"Hold on!" Merrick replied. As they flew towards the tower and up into the sky, Merrick fired on a TIE Interceptor that was chasing the X-Wing pilot in question. "I've got him!" he shouted as he destroyed the hostile fighter. He frowned as he saw more TIE fighters being launched from the facility.
Down below, Bodhi was running along the beach, hefting along the cable extension unit. Spotting a nearby comm relay, he quickly ran up to it and plugged the cable into the panel. Hearing a reassuring beep, he began making his way towards the ship. Almost there, he told himself.
. . .
There was another drama playing out inside of the Citadel Tower, the centerpiece of the Imperial Center of Military Research. Inside of a vault room in the tower, Cassian Andor worked with Jyn Erso to find the data drives holding the schematics for the Death Star.
Jyn worked at a console, fingers moving quickly. "Hyperspace tracking," she listed off as she looked through the various systems. "Navigational systems."
"Two screens down," K-2SO instructed her. "Structural Engineering. Try that one." Just as he said this, there was a gunshot as he fired his blaster, presumably at a Stormtrooper that tried to get in.
I need a different approach, Jyn thought. She ran a series of queries through the vault computer. "Project code-names. Stellarsphere, Mark Omega, Pax Aurora, War Mantle, Cluster Prism, Dark Saber…" She trailed off.
Cassian noticed her silence. "What?"
"Star Dust," she replied. "That's it."
"How do you know?"
"Because it's me," Jyn explained. "My father always called me 'stardust' as a child. My guess is that he named the Death Star project that so that I would recognize it the moment I saw it."
Cassian smiled at that. Keying his comm, he said, "K, we need to find Star Dust." A green light on one of the drives flashed in response.
Manipulating the controls, Cassian quickly maneuvered the robotic retrieval unit towards the dot. "Almost got it," he mumbled as he worked the manipulators. A moment later, he smiled. "Got it!" he cheered.
That was when bad news came along. When the lights flickered, he looked at Jyn, then keyed his personal com-link. "K-2SO, what's going on?!"
"Climb!" They heard K shouting, his transmission slightly garbled. "Climb! You can still send the plans to the fleet. If they open the Shield Gate, you can broadcast from the tower! I'm sealing the vault door now! Taking critical damage!"
"K!" Cassian shouted, realizing what was going on. "K!"
"Goodbye," K said. "It was an honor, Cassian." There was a clunk as the door locked and the comlink came to an end with a crackle. Stopping just short of the door, Cassian turned to look at Jyn, tears in his eyes...
At the same time in the control center, Krennic was looking at the ongoing battle, as well as the orbital feeds. His mouth wagged as he saw the remains of the Golan Station, before he shook his head to clear it. His thoughts were interrupted when an officer said, "Sir, unauthorized access at the data vault."
"What?" he asked, coming out of his worried stupor.
"It's just come in," the officer continued.
Damnit! he thought. Things have gone from bad to worse! Taking a breath, he said, "Send my personal squad into battle. Two men, with me!" Looking at the others, he shouted, "Get that beach under control!"
"Sir!" another man shouted. "We've got incoming! The unknowns are sending in ground forces to the beaches and they've sent in starfighters!"
"Get more men to the beach now! Bring out the AT-ACTs! Crush the Rebels to powder!"
. . .
Nearby, at one of the landing pads, Bodhi found himself in a bit of a pickle. While trying to connect the cable to the shuttle's comm array, he had to backtrack to get through a shorter patch, as the cable had snagged on some cargo. Then a firefight had broken out, forcing him into cover. "Bodhi, have you contacted the fleet?" he heard someone ask him on the comm.
"I'm at the shuttle!" Bodhi shouted, recognizing the voice as Cassian's. "I can't reach it!" He winced as a blaster bolt struck nearby.
"You have to!" Cassian shouted over the comm. "You have to! If the Gate is open, we can send the plans!"
Just as he said this, Bodhi winced as he heard a loud squeal on the comm. Stormtroopers and Rebels alike grasped their helmets in pain. Then a voice said,"This is Admiral Raddus! We've opened the Shield Gate and have reestablished comms! The battlecruiser that arrived in the midst of the battle has agreed to help us! They are sending reinforcements to the ground battle!"
In the sky, General Merrik was still flying his X-Wing when he spotted new contacts coming in. TIE Interceptors! he realized. Firing his X-Wing's laser cannons, he destroyed a few, while maneuvering through the resulting dust cloud. "General!" one of his wingmen shouted. "Behind you!" Looking behind himself, he could see the Interceptors, one of which was lined up on his six.
Throwing the X-Wing into a series of evasive maneuvers, he narrowly avoided some shots, then a warning blared over his helmet speakers. Shields are almost gone! He threw the starfighter into a hard bank to avoid being killed. The Interceptor, however, remained on his tail. Time's run out for me! Might as well take them with me!
The Force, it seemed, decided that now wasn't his time to die. His heart skipped a beat when all four of them were struck by a flight of missiles. Some tried to avoid being hit, only to be blasted into pieces. He was about to question his good luck when he heard a voice on his comm say, "This is Charlie Squadron to Blue Leader. We've got your back!"
Confusion reigned in Merrick's mind, then he remembered what Admiral Raddu had just said over the comm. "Roger that," he replied. "Are you from the battlecruiser?"
"We're from the Infinity, yes," Charlie Leader replied. "Captain Lasky sent us to provide assistance. We have a flight of Pelicans on the way down to provide ground reinforcements and our fighters are outfitted for ground and air combat."
Merrick nearly cheered at that. "Roger, Charlie Leader. Form up on me! We need to keep the ground forces covered!"
"Roger that. Charlie Squadron, form up on Blue Leader! Time to help out the ground pounders!"
. . .
Onboard one of the Pelicans, Chief and the other Spartans were quickly reaching ground level. The Pelican deftly dodged incoming fire as it, and dozens of others, streaked towards the ground as fast as they safely could. "Thirty seconds, Spartans!" the pilot of Delta 3-5-1 shouted.
Movement caught Chief's eye. Turning in that direction, he spotted what looked like a walker of some sorts. Standing at an impressive height, it resembled a turtle that had grown incredibly long legs. A single head was firing at ground troopers, with large red bolts streaking towards them. "Cortana, what's that?"
"Looks like a ground walker," Cortana said. "Judging by the armament, I'd say it's bad news."
"That'll tear the ground troops apart!" Fred told Chief.
"Pilot, bring us down on the ground. We'll approach the enemy vehicle on foot!"
"Got a plan?" Fred asked.
"Yeah," Chief replied. "We'll assault the walker and neutralize it. Once that's done, we'll continue on foot to the entrance of the facility. Cortana, can you access the facility's systems?"
"Already ahead of you on that," Cortana replied. "I've also got another message from Lasky. Apparently, there are two Alliance personnel inside of the facility, Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso according to the COM burst. Raddus' trying to get in contact with them so that they know we're coming."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"I've also managed to find out who runs this facility, one Orson Krennic. Apparently, he's the Director of this place, the Imperial Center of Military Research. If we capture him, we'll have a wealth of information at our disposal."
"Do you know where he is?"
"Negative," Cortana replied. "I'm still trying to work out what I can do with their systems. By the time I've got a handle on them, Krennic will likely have reached the data archives or even the top of the tower!"
Chief keyed his COM. "Sierra-117 to Captain Lasky, do you read me?"
"Go ahead, Chief!" Lasky replied.
"Cortana has identified a high value target at the hostile facility. Permission to capture?"
"Granted," Lasky replied. "Cortana just told me about Krennic, and he's a nasty piece of work. Capturing him should definitely give us an idea of what's going on."
"Yes, sir," Chief replied.
"Dropping you off now!" the pilot shouted. The Pelican flew low to the ground, slowing down only slightly. All four Spartans leaped out, while the Pelican's engines flared, taking it back to the skies.
"Head to this area," Cortana shouted. "Marking it with a waypoint!"
A blue chevron appeared on Chief's HUD. Looking at the AT-ACT, Chief said, "Blue Team, with me. We'll take out the walker, then head to the facility and find Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso."
"Copy that," Fred replied. Eyes on the goal, the Spartans sprinted towards the AT-ACT.
Chief activated the Grappleshot Launcher on his gauntlet. Advancing forwards, he ran underneath the AT-ACT, getting between it's legs and raised his arm skyward. A loud POP came from the device, the grappling hook flying towards the bottom of the AT-ACT. The moment it impacted, it latched on motors set into their gauntlets whined as they were lifted skywards, bringing the team to a stop underneath the AT-ACT next to a hatch.
Pulling out an explosive charge, Fred slapped it onto the hatch and keyed the detonator with a helmet command. There was a loud BANG as the charge detonated, blowing a hole through the durasteel hatch. Swinging themselves inside, they checked the interior of the vehicle.
From what Chief could tell, they had entered the cargo portion of the AT-ACT, as there were crates and cargo pallets all around him. He was about to move forwards when one of the passengers, a Stormtrooper, walked into an isle between the crates. Spotting him, he gave a loud shout and raised his E-11. Chief, weapon already raised, fired a pair of rounds. The Stormtrooper fell to the ground dead, his head and chest pierced by the bullets.
The shots, however, had alerted the other passengers. They rushed into the cargo bay, intent on driving the Spartans out.. The Spartans did not let them have a moment of respite. Speeding through the cargo bay, Kelly closed in and began firing her shotgun, while delivering lethal melee blows to any Stormtroopers in her way. One Stormtrooper's chest was eviscerated by a shotgun blast, while another was sent flying into a nearby wall. A loud CRACK echoed in the cargo hold, and he went down instantly. Unable to counter the Spartans lightning fast reflexes, it wasn't long before the passengers were dead.
Reaching the door to the cockpit, Chief motioned for Fred to place an explosive charge on the door, before detonating it. Blasting it wide open, they entered the cockpit, which had an Imperial officer, as well as two pilots manning the vehicle. The officer pulled out a pistol, only for Kelly to blast him with the shotgun. The other two pilots moved to react, but were terminated by Chief and the others in rapid succession.
"All targets down," Fred replied.
"Place explosives here and at the nearest heat source," Chief ordered. "After that, egress out the hatch we blew and detonate." The Spartans quickly began to place explosives. Once the explosive charges were placed, they quickly exited the AT-ACT. "Blue Team, double time!" With a mental command, he triggered the explosives. A loud boom could be heard, followed by the shriek of metal as the AT-ACT crumpled like tissue paper.
. . .
At the same time, Richard Bisenski, one of the Marines, was inside of a M820 Scorpion. A computerized voice said, "Target. Traverse Left." Obeying the command, Richard spotted the target in question: an AT-ACT that was moving towards him. Thumbing a control on the joystick in his right hand, he switched to a sabot round, waited for the computer to compute range, then fired.
There was a loud boom as the 150mm ETC gun fired. Against the powerful gun, the durasteel armor on the AT-ACT might as well have been tissue paper.
The shell ripped through the cockpit at extreme velocity, tearing through the metal as though it didn't exist. The crew inside were instantly liquefied by the impact of the shell, with said shell soon blasting its way out of the other side. A trajectory analysis indicated that it would fall harmlessly into the ocean.
"Target neutralized," he said. Gunning the throttle, he quickly began moving. He was about to target another AT-ACT when he heard a COM burst. "This is Marine Squad Whiskey! Are there any tanks on this frequency?! Over!"
Keying his COM, he said, "This is Richard Bisenski. What do you need?"
"We're pinned down by Imperial Stormtroopers and they have a small walker with them! Can you provide assistance?!"
"Roger that," Bisenski calmly replied. "ETA: One Mike." Gunning the throttle, he began driving there as fast as he could.
It wasn't long before he reached the target area. Near some crates and the entrance to the facility were Marines fighting for their lives as Stormtroopers poured in. Some of the Stormtroopers, seeing his vehicle, fired at him with their blasters. Richard smirked. You'll have to do better than that.
"Target. Traverse Right," the computer reported. Hearing this, he thumbed a switch. He could hear a mechanical sound as the APFSDS shell was replaced with a MAHEM-F shell. "Gun Ready," the computer announced. Bisenski depressed the trigger. In an instant, the group of 20 Stormtoroopers vanished in the powerful detonation that followed. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing but a crater.
"Thanks!" he heard the Marines tell him.
"Much obliged," he replied.
. . .
Pulling out her blaster pistol, Jyn told Cassian, "Stand back." He started, then stood as close to the vault door as he could. Once he was far away enough, Jyn fired her blaster pistol.
The glass shattered in an instant. Air rushed out as the pressure equalized, popping their ears.
Both of them examined the long climb ahead. "If we're climbing up that, we'll have to take off the uniforms we stole," Cassian observed. "We need the freedom of movement."
"My thoughts exactly," Jyn agreed. Both of them then went to work stripping off their overcoats. Clambering over the frame of the now shattered view port, Jyn tensed her legs before jumping to the other side. Grabbing onto the column, she quickly began climbing up to where the data drive was at. Behind her, Cassian made the jump and began to follow her.
After a few minutes of climbing, Jyn reached the data drive. "I got it!", she shouted. Then she pulled at it For a few moments, it stubbornly refused to come out, then with a loud metallic PING, the data drive pulled free of it's holding chamber.
The sudden movement threw Jyn's left arm backwards. "Careful!" she heard Cassian shout as she swung about. Steadying herself, she quickly regained her footing. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah!" Jyn replied. Keeping a hold of the column, she quickly clipped the data drive onto the back of her belt. If we can get to the top of this room, we can not only escape, but send the plans as well. She continued climbing with single-minded tenacity.
On another level, Krennic and his guards advanced through the structure. Looking down, he could see all of the dead Stormtroopers that had been killed by K-2SO. A pity, he noted to himself. Shaking the thought away, he drew out his blaster pistol. Moving through a hallway with his guards, he reached one of the doors and opened it.
What he didn't anticipate, however, was that Cassian was keeping a close eye on the door itself. As soon as it opened, he shouted, "JYN!" before firing at Krennic with his own blaster pistol. Krennic and his guards threw themselves back as the blaster bolts hit the walls of the corridor, sending sparks and molten metal flying everywhere.
Regaining his composure, Krennic and his guards pulled out their weapons. They opened fire simultaneously, forcing Jyn and Cassian into cover. As Cassian and Krennic exchanged blaster bolt fire, Jyn quickly moved to avoid the blaster bolt exchange. Cassian shouted triumphantly as he shot both of Krennic's guards, with one falling backwards into the corridor, while the other fell forwards to his doom, screaming all the while. "Keep going!" he shouted at Jyn. "Keep going!"
Krennic, however, saw an opportunity and took it. Just as Cassian popped out of cover, he fired his blaster, nailing Cassian in the right shoulder. Shouting from the pain, Cassian reeled back and lost his grip. "Cassian!" Jyn shouted as he fell onto a platform below her. Steeling herself, she continued to climb upwards.
. . .
Outside, Baze and the others were dealingl with another threat that had arrived to destroy them. Leaning out of cover, he fired his heavy blaster at a group of black armored Imperials. Most of the Rebels out in the open were cut down, though a few that had taken cover behind some crates continued to fire back. "Those must be Krennic's personal guards!" he observed.
"I would imagine so!" Chirrut remarked as he fired his own blaster at the hostiles. "The Force flows darkly around them!" He ducked down just as a blaster bolt flew overhead, creating a crater that was just a few inches above his head.
"I'll take your word for it!" Baze shouted. Leaning out, he fired his heavy blaster at the incoming hostiles. Just as he did so, though, he thought he heard a strange sound. Unlike the shuttle that had dropped off Krennic's personal guards, this sound was like a great wind rushing through the place, only many times louder.
Then carnage was unleashed.
Instead of blaster bolts, Baze was shocked to hear a loud, percussive banging sound. Yellow-white streaks of light cut towards the Imperial Death Troopers, shredding each one of them. The roar of the weapon drowned out any other sounds.
Then an odd looking dropship flew into view, turned around, then settled down on the ground. A full squad of soldiers poured out of the vehicle, all dressed in green armor and black fatigues. The surviving Death Troopers, spotting the new threat, quickly opened fire, forcing the newcomers to close the distance quickly. A few were knocked down, while the others returned fire in short, accurate bursts and dove behind cover.
One of them ran over to Baze and the others. "Who's your CO!" he shouted.
"I am!" came a shout. Baze watched as Melphi came out, clutching a blaster wound on his shoulder. "Who are you?!"
"Master Sergeant Stacker," the man replied, "and we're the guys saving your sorry asses! What's the SITREP!"
"We have to keep the Imperials distracted long enough for Jyn and Cassian to retrieve the data drive containing the Death Star schematics!" Melphi explained. "That's what we were doing, only these Imperials sent out the big guns after us!"
"Well, you're lucky you ain't dead yet!" Stacker remarked.
"Incoming!" Baze shouted, pointing at a squad of Stormtroopers that were advancing at them.
"Sit tight, guys!" Stacker shouted. "We'll handle those Stormies! Omaha Squad, start taking those Stormies down! We're gonna get these guys out of here!" With that, the soldiers quickly turned and began firing at the Stormtroopers...
Another fierce battle was taking place near one of the entrances to the facility. Popping out of cover, Rikard fired his blaster rifle at the Stormtroopers, only to be forced back down when more blaster bolts whipped overhead. A loud scream came from nearby as a Rebel fell to the ground, his chest blasted open by a blaster bolt. Resigned to his fate, Rikard got up and fired once more.
Fate, however, had different plans. He soon heard a strange, whistling sound, like a mortar shell was falling through the air. Before anyone could react, several oddly shaped pods fell from the sky and smashed into the ground. Dust and sand was thrown into the air, disorienting both sides of the fight. One Stormtrooper was unlucky enough to be caught directly underneath one. Seeing what happened next, Rikard ducked down, vomiting at the sight.
Loud, percussive banging sounds forced him to look from behind cover. He watched as several individuals wearing bulky black armor fired on the Stormtroopers. Whatever weapons they were using were proving to be lethal to the Stormtroopers, as each one fell to the ground. Spotting one coming over as the Stormtroopers were wiped out, he asked, "Who are you?!"
"ODST Sergeant Alan Greaves," came the reply.
"I don't know what an ODST is, but you kicked those guys butts. Thanks for the assist."
"You're welcome," Greaves replied. Keying his COM, he said, "Blue Team, this is ODST Squad Hotel! Entrance secured! Ready when you are!"
. . .
Up in space, Parisa and her team were storming the last few meters that separated them from the bridge. Ducking behind cover, she and another Marine narrowly avoided being hit by a blaster bolt. Nearby, Richard leaned out and fired his MA5D, blasting open the head of a Stormtrooper. "Fuckers are fighting hard!" he shouted. "Heavy resistance!"
Hearing a cry, Parisa watched as a Marine fell to the ground, clutching at a nasty looking charred crater on his arm. "We need to take these Stormtroopers down now!" Richard shouted.
"Copy that!" Parisa shouted. "Everyone, grenades!". Pulling the pins with their thumbs on the spoons, they waited for the order. "Throw 'em!" the Marines did so, grenades heading for the Stormtroopers.'
A series of powerful detonations erupted where the grenades landed, shredding the Stormtooper's armor while blasting them apart. With return fire sharply tapering off, the Marines quickly popped out of cover and gunned down the remaining soldiers.
"Lucas, how bad are the injured?" she asked.
"Minor wounds, but some are in a bad way," Lucas reported. "I recommend getting them to the medical bay once this is all over."
"Good idea," Parisa agreed. "Squad on me! Prepare for door breach!" Moving up, they stacked up on the door. "Three... two... one... now!" The door opened, and the Marines moved in. Inside, they found the rest of the command crew, though most of them were still stunned and unconscious.
A few were starting to regain consciousness, chiefly among them Admiral Gorin, who was staring at them wide eyed. "What are you?!" he gasped as the Marines quickly began to secure the prisoners.
"We are the UNSC," Parisa stated. She aimed her rifle at him. "Now, would you be kind enough as to ask the rest of your crew to surrender?"
A defeated expression came on Gorin's face. "Fine!" he shouted "You win today, Rebel." Pulling himself up to his console, he slid his code cylinder into a slot and keyed the ship wide intercom. "All hands, this is Admiral Gorin. We've been boarded and I've been captured. Stand down. Don't waste your lives trying to save the ship." Looking at Parisa, he asked, "Happy now?"
"Yes," Parisa replied, then she smashed the stock of her rifle into Gorin's face. The Admiral fell down to the ground like a sac of potatoes. "Bag and tag him! I'll bet a few friends of ours will want to squeeze him dry of his secrets." She keyed her COM and said, "Roland, inform Captain Lasky that we've taken the bridge!"
"I've already informed him," Roland replied. "I've also acquired the star charts that were stored in the Star Destroyer's data banks. It's got a map of all common routes in the galaxy!"
"I'll leave that last bit to you and Lasky," Parisa decided "Anything else?"
"Yeah. Capture any code cylinders that the Imperial officers have. We'll need them to access classified data."
"Got it," Parisa replied. Switching frequencies, she asked, "Echo, Foxtrot and Golf Squads, come in. What's your status?"
"The hostiles are throwing down their weapons and surrendering!" the leader of Echo squadron reported. "Looks like they've decided to listen to their Admiral!"
"Golf Squadron here," came another call. "We've managed to get to Engineering. They were trying to restart the self-destruct mechanism when we came along. We've stopped them, and the rest are surrendering now that their Admiral has asked them to do so."
"Good," Parisa remarked. "Lock them up wherever the brig is located on this rust bucket! Looks like we've won today!"
. . .
Pushing up a cover for the walkway, Jyn peeked her head out to look around. Seeing no one, she pulled herself up onto the deck. Looks like Raddus was right about getting help, she noted upon seeing the ship high up in the sky.
She tore her gaze away from the ship, then did a sweep before heading for the nearby control panel. Then she heard the sound of a turbolift door opening. Throwing herself behind cover, she peeked out to see four individuals coming out of the turbolift.
All four of the newcomers were wearing body armor that covered them from head to toe, with each plate of armor being quite thick. A black bodysuit was underneath, while their faces were hidden by helmets with face plates of varying color.
She could also hear voices, but the wind drowned them out. She was about to move when all of them raised their weapons, with one moving towards her. SPAST! she snarled. Not again! Diving out of cover, she fired her blaster.
To her shock, the blaster bolt splashed harmlessly against a gold-white barrier that shimmered over her target. Spotting her, they raised their weapons, but one that was covered with olive-green armor raised a hand and shouted, "Check fire! Blue! Blue!"
Jyn stopped herself, but kept her blaster pistol raised. The leader of the group advanced towards her. "Are you Jyn Erso?" he asked.
"Y-yes," Jyn replied. "What's it to you? Are you with the Imperials?!"
"No," the man replied. "Admiral Raddus sent us to get you."
Jyn frowned. "I heard about that on the communicator," she noted. "I take it you're from the battlecruiser that Admiral Raddus mentioned."
"Yes."
Jyn relaxed. "Sorry about shooting at you. I was expecting to see more Imperials and I didn't know what to make of you. What are your names?"
"You may refer to us as Blue Team."
"I like it," Jyn decided. "Easy to remember." Looking at the control panel, she asked, "So, shall we transmit the plans to the Profundity?" In response, the Spartans took up formation nearby, while Jyn advanced to the console. Spotting a slot for the data drive, she quickly pushed it in, then tried the console.
An automated voice said, "Reset Antenna Alignment." An image of the antenna appeared on a screen. "Damnit!" Jyn snarled.
"What is it?" Chief asked.
"The antenna's misaligned! We can't transmit the plans until that's done!"
"We've got that handled," Chief replied. "Cortana?"
"Already on it, Chief," Linda said said. Standing on a walkway, she lowered a lever at another panel. The massive dish slowly moved into position. "There we go."
"Transmitting information now," Cortana said.
"Thanks," Jyn said. "Who was that just now?"
"That's Cortana," Blue Two said. "She's an AI that's assigned to our squad."
"AI? You mean a droid?"
"Again, with the whole droid thing!" Cortana sputtered angrily, "though technically that is correct. Also, Chief, we've got company coming!"
Jyn froze, then realized what Cortana was likely referring to. She whirled around at the same time the Spartans did. Krennic walked out from behind one of the columns, blaster pistol in hand, and a thoroughly flustered expression on his face. "Who are you?!" he shouted when he saw Jyn, as well as the Spartans.
"You know who I am," Jyn said to him. "I'm Jyn Erso. Daughter of Galen and Lyrren. You've lost."
"Oh I have, haven't I?" Krennic asked, a look of bravado on his face.
"My father's revenge. He built a flaw into the Death Star. He put a bomb with a fuse inside of your entire machine, and I've just told the galaxy how to light it. On top of that, I've got a few new friends that can stop you."
Krennic looked like he was about to shout, then he realized it. With the Star Dreadnought assisting the Alliance, the Shield Gate destroyed and the planetary shield gone, he had been defeated. His thoughts turned towards what might happen if the Empire learned of his defeat. What will the Emperor and Darth Vader do to make an example of you to others, a dark thought whispered to him. What would Vader do if he saw you right now? He snarled, opened his mouth to retort.
Before he could, Kelly sauntered over, took the blaster pistol from his hands and forced him to his knees. He struggled, only for Kelly to knock him out. "HVT secure," she said.
Chief keyed his COM and said, "Delta 3-5-1, move in and pick us up up at the tower platform.
"Copy that," Delta 3-5-1 replied. "Moving in now!"
"Affirmative. Sierra-117 to Infinity. HVT has been secured. Cortana is transmitting the plans for the Imperial superweapon to both the Rebel Fleet and to the Infinity. We have also located Jyn Erso."
"What about Cassian Andor?" came Lasky's voice.
"JYN!" a voice shouted. A young man with brown hair, brown eyes and tanned skin limped into view. He aimed his blaster at the Spartans.
"Cassian, don't shoot!" Jyn shouted. "They're with the battlecruiser! They're friendly!"
"Really?" Cassian asked. When Jyn nodded, Cassian slowly lowered his blaster pistol. "Well, they certainly look the part too." Wincing, he nearly fell to his knees. Running over, Jyn propped him up on her shoulder.
"You look like a mess. We're getting out of here."
Chief said, "Infinity, all HVT's secured. Requesting a medical team for Cassian Andor."
"Roger that," Lasky replied. "Medical team's heading to your designated hangar. I've ordered all troops to be recalled to the Infinity. We're also helping the Rebel forces on the planet get to safety as well. Return to the Infinity."
"Yes sir," Chief replied.
As he did so, the loading ramp for the Pelican closed, with Jyn and the others inside. Looking at Cassian, she asked, "What's gonna happen now?"
"No idea," Cassian admitted. "No idea at all."
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Lasky watched as the Pelicans that had recovered the ground troops on the surface flew past the ruins of the Shield Gate and back towards the Infinity. "Captain, the plans for the Death Star are being received by the Rebel Fleet. We've also got the plans and I'm currently reviewing them," Cortana said.
Lasky smiled. "Good. What's the status on the Slipspace Drive?"
There was a click at the holo-table's intercom, then Jordan spoke up. He sounded pleased with himself, and more than a little relieved. "Great news, Captain! Halsey and I managed to get the Slipstream Space Drive fully operational!"
That was cause for some unprofessional but heartfelt cheering on the bridge. "Nicely done!" Lasky replie.
Halsey came on. "Like I said, allow the professionals to get the job done, and things go well. I admit, Jordan, you've impressed me, despite your earlier stumble."
"Good work," Lasky said. "Bridge out." Closing the 'com, he said, "Lieutenant Jet, are we good for when we're ready to travel?"
"Yes sir!" Jet replied. "Roland managed to swipe some data from the Star Destroyer. Apparently, its a map of the entire galaxy, but givne that it's not for Slipspace, we're gonna be making some blind jumps. Roland and Cortana are gonna be working on a potential solution."
"Galaxy?" Lasky asked.
"Correct," Gabriela reported. "I was able to gain access to the Slipstream Space Drive. Using that data, I've figured out where we've ended up. According to my calculations, we've ended up in the Andromeda Galaxy, Captain."
Lasky let out a low whistle. "That's a really, really long ways from home. Any way we can get back home?"
"Well, now that the Slipstream Space Drive is functioning again, maybe," Gabriela added. "However, I wouldn't recommend using that fast of a transit method again. If we do, we might tear the Infinity apart.
Lasky frowned. "Understood."
"Captain," Lieutenant Murphy reported. "The Tantive IV is requesting permission to fly over and dock to the ship. In addition, they're requesting engineers for what they're calling the 'Hyperdrive Motivator."
"What's a Hyperdrive Motivator?" Lasky asked.
"I know what it is," Cortana said."They can't initiate FTL flight without it."
"Ouch. No wonder they're requesting engineers. Good thinng Hangar 21-D is ready for them."
"Indeed," Cortana agreed. "Gabriela should handle the docking procedures."
"So, permission to have them come aboard?" Murphy asked.
"Granted," Lasky replied. "Having her onboard will help show that we didn't want a fight. Plus, if this 'Imperial Senate' decides to get uppity, Leia can prove that we do exist."
"Copy that, Captain," Lieutenant Murphy said. Keying the 'com, he said, "Hangar 21-D, you guys ready?"
. . .
Down in Hangar 21-D, Benjamin Merrick, the Flight Officer of Hangar 21-D, quickly coordinated with the hangar crew. Looking around, he ran a mental check of the hangar's dimensions. It's more than wide and tall enough, but the length is where it'll be a tight squeeze. Hearing Murphy talking to him on the 'com, he asked, "Come again?"
"Is Hangar 21-D ready?" Murphy asked.
"We're ready!" Benjamin reported. "I've got the flight crew in position and ready to go!"
"Copy that," Murphy replied. Keeping the 'com open, he said, "Tantive IV, this is Lieutenant Murphy. Permission to come aboard granted. Fly towards Hangar 21-D. Sending flight path now. Be advised, they are suffering from mechanical and electrical problems."
Onboard the Tantive IV, Leia watched her pilot give her a thumbs up as he received the flight path. "Copy that," she replied. "We are coming now." Looking at her pilot, she said, "Be careful. The Hyperdrive Motivator will send faulty readings."
"Understood," the pilot repliled. "I'll guide it in manually as far as possible. Do they have a remote operation system? ."
"I'll ask them," Leia decided. Once her Comm Officer gave her a thumbs up, she said, "We do. We're on our way, Lieutenant Murphy."
"Copy that. Just keep the COM channel open, two of our specialists, Cortana and Gabriela, are ready to assist."
"This is Cortana here," came another woman's voice. "We'll help you get docked to the Infinity. Just keep the COM channel open and we'll be good to go."
"Understood," Leia replied. "Comms, keep the channel open." There was silence as they approached the Infinity.
"We're as close as I can get us," the pilot reported. "This is as far as I can go."
"Its all yours now"
Using the COM channel, Cortana quickly uploaded herself onto the Tantive IV's computer systems. "I found the problem," she told Gabriela. "Their Hyperdrive Motivator's sending faulty readings to the navicomputer. We can compensate by using our navigation computer to guide the ship in."
"My thoughts exactly," Gabriela agreed. With Cortana having made a hole in the Tantive IVs firewalls, she quickly moved in and began guiding the ship in. Working quickly, she used her subroutines to block out the faulty readings from the Hyperdrive Motivator. Using the navigation computer onboard the Infinity, she slowly, but expertly, guided the ship in once it was close enough to the Infinity...
Inside of the flight deck, Benjamin watched as the personnel wearing white and yellow uniforms moved in, while others waited for orders. Slowly, but certainly, the large ship slid into the hangar bay. Before long, the Tantive IV was directly below the universal docking clamp. There was a pause, then whirring sounds sounded as the jury rigged clamps locked down onto the Tantive IV's hull, securing the ship.
Merrick keyed his 'com. "Flight Officer to bridge. The Tantive IV is securely docked."
"Copy that," Lieutenant Murphy replied. "Nicely done, you two."
"Thanks," Cortana and Gabriela replied.
. . .
Murphy smiled, then turned to Lasky, "The Tantive IV is onboard."
"Excellent," Lasky replied with a smile. "What about our Pelicans?"
"All Pelicans are back onboard."
"Excellent," Lasky replied. "Contact Admiral Raddus. Inform him that we'll need a rendezvous point."
"Got it," Jepersen replied from his station. After about half a minute, he said, "Captain, Raddus has sent us rendezvous coordinates."
"Permission to enter them in and get us there?" Lieutenant Jet asked.
Lasky was about to give out orders when Lieutenant Ryder shouted, "Sir! I've got a massive sensor contact coming in! Directly ahead!"
Looking up, Lasky spotted what Ryder had pointed out. Beyond the planet was a large moon that came into view. As more of it came into view, Lasky frowned. That's not a moon at all.
Azikiwe, who had similar initial thoughts, said, "That's not a moon. It's a space station."
"That thing's massive!" Ryder whistled. "Bigger than anything I've ever seen. It makes the Infinity look like an insect!"
"There are bigger things," Lasky said to him. "Only High Chairity was bigger, and it took them decades to build." I wish I had a NOVA Bomb, he absentmindedly thought.
. . .
Onboard the Death Star, inside one of the command rooms, Grand Moff Wilhuf Tarkin gazed out at the planet of Scarif. An officer walked up to him as he looked out over the planet. "Sir? Shall I begin targeting the fleet?"
Tarkin shook his head. "Lord Vader will handle the fleet. Target the base at Scarif. Single reactor ignition."
"Yes sir," the officer replied. Tarkin waited for a few seconds. "Base targeted," the officer informed him.
"You may fire when ready," Tarkin replied.
the firing crew onboard the Death Star went to work. "Commence Firing Ignition," a PA announced. A few seconds later, Tarkin watched as a brilliant, emerald green beam of energy shot out from the Death Star's primary weapon before tearing through the atmosphere of Scarif. On the ground, the beam pierced through the communications array, disintegrating it. Impacting the ground, the beam instantly vaporized the water and rock in the ocean nearby, creating a tremendous explosion.
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Lasky's blood ran cold as he watched the beam of energy destroy a part of the planet's surface. The entire bridge, in fact, was deathly silent as everyone watched a massive explosion erupt on the planet's surface. "Oh… shit!" Ryder gasped.
"Not good," Roland whispered, his laid back attitude now replaced with one of sheer terror.
"So, that's the Death Star," Cortana remarked, though even she looked pale for an AI. "We've gotta go now!"
Those words chilled Lasky more than anything. "Status on the crew?!
"Everyone's back aboard," Murphy reported. "We're ready to leave!"
"Plotting course now!" Jet added
"Sir, I've got another object coming into our area!" Ryder reported. "It's another Star Destroyer. IFF identifies it as the Devastator! They're moving to block the Rebel Fleet!"
"Understood," Lasky replied. "Prep the SSD! We're leaving!"
. . .
Onboard the Devastator, Darth Vader could feel the devastation that the battlecruiser had wrought on the Imperial fleet. Around him, he could feel the Force bending and twisting at the devastation that had happened. He had even sensed the ripple in the Force that had happened when the battlecruiser had smashed through the Persecutor like it was matchwood. He could hear the Force screaming a warning to him.
As those thoughts swam through his mind, an officer came to him. "Lord Vader, we are targeting the Rebel fleet. Permission to engage?"
Vader looked at the fleet, then said. "Begin the engagement. And -"
"Sir, the fleet's preparing to jump!" an officer reported.
"Destroy them!" Vader ordered. The Star Destroyers opened fire, hammering the Rebel fleet. Several Rebel ships were blasted apart, their shields failing. Then, just as the Imperial fleet turned to engage the rest, they vanished into Hyperspace. The battlecruiser, however, slipped into a large portal that vanished shortly thereafter.
Vader frowned. Escaped before we could begin. "Very well," he said. "Inform Tarkin That I wish to speak with him concerning this matter."
As the officer relayed his instructions, Vader could feel the Force shifting around him. This is only the beginning.
. . .
At Alderaan, Bail Organa had been having a calm and quiet day when he had been alerted to a new development. Walking into his office, he asked, "What happened."
"Sir," one of his aids informed him, "Senator Leia Organa has requested an emergency meeting in the Senate."
Confusion reigned on Organa's face. "What? I thought I told her to keep silent until her secret mission was complete." In fact,it was why he had ignored a previous call from her earlier. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said, "Let me see the message."
The guard handed him a datapad. Bail read the data displayed. As he did so, his eyes went wide with shock. Putting the data pad down a tad fast, he said, "I'll contact the Senate immediately. Inform my officers to have my personal ship ready. I'm heading to Coruscant for this."
He rubbed his forehead. Now I know why she was contacting me, he thought with some guilt. This certainly means that her secret mission is canceled. Well, no better time to correct this than the present. Getting up, he began moving to his personal starship. Nothing will be the same again, he thought.
